Join NASA's Celebration of the 45th Anniversary of the Giant Leap for Mankind

The 45th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is on July 20, but the celebration is already beginning. Starting on Friday, July 18, NASA will host a series of events in which civilians can participate, either in person or online.

Friday, July 18:

1:30 pm EDT - Morgan Freeman will discuss the future of space exploration, along with Reid Wiseman, a NASA astronaut who will participate in the discussion from the International Space Station. The discussion will air on NASA TV, and you can also watch the video below for an in-orbit anniversary message from Wiseman and fellow astronaut Steve Swanson.

[Credit: NASA]

3:30 pm EDT - Buzz Aldrin, former Apollo astronaut, will have a discussion with current astronaut Mike Massimo as part of the Intrepid Space and Science Festival. The conversation will take place at New York's Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

[Credit: Space.com]

Sunday, July 20:

8:30 pm EDT - Astronomers, filmmakers, and science writers will discuss (and debunk) various conspiracy theories about the moon landing and recount little-known anecdotes while the Slooh Space Camera broadcasts live footage of the waning crescent moon in Dubai.

10:39 pm EDT - NASA TV will broadcast the footage of Neil Armstrong's first historic moonwalk at the exact moment it occurred 45 years prior.

Monday, July 21:

10:00 am EDT - The Operations and Checkout Building at Kennedy Space Center will be renamed for Neil Armstrong, to honor him after his death in 2012. The renaming ceremony will be broadcast on NASA TV, and Apollo astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins will be in attendance.

Thursday, July 24:

6:00 pm EDT - NASA will hold a panel at the ultimate nerd convention: the San Diego Comic Con. The panel will be called "NASA's Next Giant Leap," and will be moderated by Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Seth Green. Aldrin, NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green, "Mohawk Guy" Bobak Ferdowsi, and NASA astronaut Mike Fincke will all speak at the panel.